Sean Harknett

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Independent investigation into
the death of Mr Sean Harknett,
a prisoner at HMP Rye Hill,
on 20 October 2023
A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
Third Floor, 10 South Colonnade Email: mail@ppo.gov.uk T l 020 7633 4100
Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU Web: www.ppo.gov.uk
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OFFICIAL - FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
© Crown copyright, 2025
This report is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0. To view this licence,
visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3
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1. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman aims to make a significant contribution to
safer, fairer custody and community supervision. One of the most important ways in
which we work towards that aim is by carrying out independent investigations into
deaths, due to any cause, of prisoners, young people in detention, residents of
approved premises and detainees in immigration centres.
2. If my office is to best assist His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in
ensuring the standard of care received by those within service remit is appropriate,
our recommendations should be focused, evidenced and viable. This is especially
the case if there is evidence of systemic failure.
3. On 29 April 2020, Mr Sean Harknett was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment for
sexual offences. On 20 October 2023, Mr Harknett died of respiratory failure caused
by motor neurone disease (progressive weakening of the nervous system), at HMP
Rye Hill. He was 58 years old. We offer our condolences to Mr Harknett’s family
and friends.
4. The PPO family liaison officer wrote to Mr Harknett’s next of kin to explain the
investigation and to ask if they had any matters they wanted us to consider. They
did not respond to our letter.
5. NHS England commissioned an independent clinical reviewer to review Mr
Harknett’s clinical care at Rye Hill.
6. The clinical reviewer concluded that the clinical care Mr Harknett received at Rye
Hill was of a high standard and equivalent to that which he could have expected to
receive in the community. She found that Mr Harknett’s medical records contained
evidence of compassionate care by competent and confident staff. She made
recommendations not related to Mr Harknett’s death that the Head of Healthcare
will wish to address.
7. The PPO investigator investigated the non-clinical issues relating to Mr Harknett’s
care. We did not find any non-clinical issues of concern. We make no
recommendations.
8. We shared our initial report with HMPPS. They found no factual inaccuracies.
Adrian Usher May 2024
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
Inquest
At the inquest, held on 8 October 2025, the Coroner concluded that Mr Harknett died from
natural causes.
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 1
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Third Floor, 10 South Colonnade Email: mail@ppo.gov.uk T l 020 7633 4100
Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU Web: www.ppo.gov.uk
OFFICIAL - FOR PUBLIC RELEASE